International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films

AUTUMN ACADEMY 2018

“AGGRESSION - HUMANITY – CINEMA”

The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Film is a biannual event. The activity of the Red Cross does not stop in-between two significant actions; in the same way the organizers of this prestigious cinema forum do not interrupt popularizing their ideas, using the instruments of the “seventh art”. So, between two editions of the Festival with competition program, they draw the public attention with the Autumn Academy under the motto “Aggression – Humanity – Cinema”.

In 2018 the Academy is organized between 4 -7 October in SOK “Kamcha” and in Varna, under the patronage – traditionally – of the Vice-president of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Iliana Iotova.

The Autumn Academy 2018 will show on the screens a selection of 15 documentary and feature films, making a thorough and passionate research on the topical problems. Thematically, the films depict the range of unsolved items that people face every day – migrant waves followed by humanitarian crises, religious and ethnical clashes, poverty, drug addiction, corruption, violence, alienation…We face them every day – alive or on the news, we are even fed up with all this. But the vision of a great author - like Andrey Zvyagintsev, Wim Wenders, Fatih Akin, Ildiko Enedi – is always surprising us with unexpected angle of his view point, with the acute intuition to find the most essential matters, with his personal insight. Proofs for the creative significance of the films selected for the Academy are their international awards – more than 30 – depicting the range of the most prestigious cinema forums in the world: Cannes, Berlin, London, Sundance, the European Films Awards, Oscar, Golden Globe, Cesar…

The Bulgarian selection among the 15 titles is impressive. “Her Confession” by Ivan Nitchev tells about a Bulgarian woman working as cleaner in the metro of Athens, who was poured over with acid because of her trade-union activity. She overcame her fears and went on, reaching the position of Member of the European Parliament. “Eleonore – the Forgotten Queen” by Oleg Kovachev tells about the second wife of King Ferdinand, a German Princess, called “mother” by the Bulgarian soldiers at the front; due to her, the Boyana Church has been preserved for the generations. “From Cremona to Cremona”, the film by Maria Averina, co-produced by Martichka Bozilova, tells about a young man, who dares to follow his dream. His dream takes him from the “Cremona” factory in Kazanlak to the Mecca of the luthiers – Cremona, the city of the legendary Stradivari and Amati.

“3x8000 – a Special Edition” is a film about the alpinist Boyan Petrov and George Tornev, about the unprecedented climbing of three peaks 8000m. high for one season, without additional oxygen, without insulin, without high-peak porters. The film tells about the indomitable strive to conquer peaks – even if you might remain there forever. These films are documentary – they are four remarkable stories about the might of the human spirit and humanity demonstrated by heroes from the reality.

An outstanding accent for the Academy is its discussion panel. The items, prompted by the screen and by the society, in the frames of the common focus “Aggression – Humanity – Cinema” are going to be debated upon by Red Cross activists, filmmakers, sociologists, psychologists, journalists, doctors, media experts, public speakers. Starting point for the discussions in the Academy 2018 will be given by lectors like: D-r. Plamen Dimitrov – Chairman to the Society of Psychologists in Bulgaria; Desislava Georgieva – a certified psychologist on aviation and crises; Tatyana Doncheva – a public figure, lawyer, member of the 38th, 39th and 40th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria; Prof. Ivo Hristov, PHD on sociology of law; Prof. Vesselina Raeva, - lecturer on scenic speech and acting, the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, the National Academy of Music, the New Bulgarian University; Mitko Novkov – a writer and journalist; Ulyana Prumova - general manager “Information”, Bulgarian National Television; Father Boyan Saruev, priest in “Holy Mother’s Assumption”, Kardzali. The Vice-president of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Iliana Iotova. will participate with a lecture in the discussion panel.

In partnership with leading media, these discussions and civil positions expressed in them, will access the wide public making it compassionate to the Red Cross ideas.

The third basic module of the Autumn Academy 2018 – the tutorial one, subjects to the same idea. Eminent lecturers and trainers in the field of media, public relations and informatics will be to teaching Red Cross workers and volunteers how to elaborate the most efficient models of reflecting the work and the ideas of the Societies, thus making it known to wider public; announcing important issues of the Movement by instruments of the visual arts and media.

The tutorial panel in the frames of the Academy is the only one with restricted access – it is only for participants from the Bulgarian Red Cross.

The Academy screenings will be at two locations SOK “Kamchia” and in the Plenary hall of the Municipality of Varna, with free access.

For the convenience of the public of Varna, the Academy organizes free bus transportation Varna-Kamchia-Varna, twice a day between 4-7 October, in accordance with the Program of the Academy – in the morning for the discussions and in the afternoon for the screenings.

The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films

The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films – Varna was founded in 1964 and interrupted in 1991. The Founders, the Bulgarian Red Cross, supported by the Bulgarian state institutions, the International Federation /the League, by that time/ of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of Red Cross and Red Crescent, the World Health Organization and UNESCO. A great number of famous leaders and representatives of the International Red Cross Movement, of the Federation and the Committee have been taking part in the work of the Festival during the years.

In 2014, the National Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, headed by Acad. Hristo Grigorov, Dr. H. C., the Medical University of Varna, headed by Prof. Dr. Krasimir Ivanov, PhD, DSc, Rector and Ilko Raev, Chairman of the District Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross in Varna and member of the National Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, under the patronage of the Vice-president’s institution in the Republic of Bulgaria, restored the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films – Varna.

After such a continuous interruption – for more than two decades, the re-birth of the Festival is a great challenge. Step by step it acquires larger and larger popularity among the Bulgarian and the international audience and it is morally supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, by many National societies, media, filmmakers from all over the world. The motto of the Festival ”Through humanity to peace and friendship” is uniting and inspiring. Hundreds of films apply to participate in all the five categories of its official competition program and their number tends to increase every year. More than one hundred are the participants and guests marching upon the Red carpet for the opening of the Festival. The professionals and the public are looking forward the Festival as one of the most significant events in the cultural calendar of Varna; its international recognition is growing.

The Festival is biannual. Its 17th edition was held between October 10 – 17, 2017, and the recapitulation for it shows:

-1892 films from 107 countries applied to take part in the selection;

- 201 films from 49 countries screened in the frames of the Festival program;

A guest and participant, ahead of an imposing group from the Turkish Red Crescent was the President of the Turkish Red Crescent, Dr. Kerem Kinik /who was elected Vice-president of the Federation few weeks after the Festival/.

The 18th edition of the Festival will be held in 2019. Between two festivals we organize an Autumn Academy, under the motto of the Festival “Aggression – Humanity – Cinema”. The screening of the films during the academies does not have a competition character, but the film program presents titles of films ranking among the most vivid ones, devoted to the topic worldwide – films, presenting on the agenda the topical humanitarian problems, films, posing questions and asking for answers in a brave and inspired way. And the great accent of the academies is the discussion forums, where the topics, prompted by the screen and mostly prompted by the society, are debated upon by Red Cross activists, journalists, doctors, media experts, public speakers. With the help of the partnership of leading media, these discussions and civil positions access the wide public making it compassionate to the Red Cross ideas. We discuss upon the current challenges to the Movement, the role and the topical importance of the Federation, the Committee, the Societies and the Volunteers.

Another module in the Academy is the tutorial one to teach Red Cross workers and volunteers how to elaborate the most efficient models of reflecting the work of the Societies, thus making it known to wider public and announcing important issues of the Movement.